Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Wednesday Weekly Stock: "Universal" Refrigerator Parts

Every week at W.L. may we have several items we feature as good parts to consider adding to your stock. These parts also have special pricing available. For pricing details, ask your account representative for more information. This week we celebrate labor day with refrigerator parts that can "labor" on a variety of machines.

Regular readers of this blog will remember that whenever possible, we advocate using OEM parts from the appliances manufacturer. Even though the parts we are describing today are "universal", our intent is that these be used in places where the manufacturers OEM is no longer available.

SL300T

Our first item this week is actually a piece of testing equipment. Determining the behavior of a malfunctioning refrigerator can be a time consuming process. Observation of the refrigeration cycle could leave a tech idle waiting for a while while they wait to observe the part of the refrigeration cycle that is acting up. A solution for that problem is a data logger.

For years, the common data logger was a large device, about the size of shoebox that had round paper discs with a graph that rotated. As the graph rotated pens marked the temp and time settings of the various stages of the refrigeration cycle.

Technology has greatly improved temperature data logging. These days the Supco data logger, part SL300T is a great solution. Much smaller than the old style of loggers, this unit is little more than a sensor. It is somewhere in size between a Zippo lighter and a cassette tape. The idea being you can leave the unit behind to take more detailed reading than the larger old mechanical loggers.

When you are ready to analyze the data, Simply plug the unit into the USB port on your computer. Using the included software a variety of analysis can be applied to the data, taking the guesswork out of refrigerator diagnostics.

SC1002

Cold controls that regulate the temperature in a refrigerator are one of those parts that usually stay available longer than many components in a refrigerator. Even though that is true, every day seems to give us calls for situations where the manufacturer is no longer producing the OEM cold control. A good fix for those scenarios is the Supco universal cold control, part# SC1002.

Designed for freezer installation, the SC1002 is good for a range of -6°F to 39°F (-21°C to 4°C). It is intended for temporary usage and can be mounted via suction cup, Velcro or screw mounts.

URCO410 & URCO810

A hard start is a device that helps the compressor out with a surge of power to increase the starting torque. Some technicians love these as they can help extend the life span of a refrigerator that may be on its last legs. Others feel that it does not do enough to address the root problem, and have fears of detrimental impact on the compressor. Regardless of opinion, we sure get a lot of demand for them.

The long standing favorite hard start was the 3-in-1 RCO series from Supco. As newer refrigerators do not always have a start capacitor, Supco introduced a new line of starters that can be used on machine with AND without start capacitors. For 1/4-1/3 HP compressors use URCO410. Smaller compressors in the 1/12th-1/5th HP range can use the URCO810.

SM999

Like the cold controls mentioned earlier, evaporator motors tend to stay in production for longer than many other refrigerator parts. Sometimes, though, the manufacturer discontinues even these common motors. When that happens, most refrigerators can be brought back online using the Supco SM999 universal motor kit. With an assortment of fittings this motor can be configured to mount in many ways.

UET120

Defrost timers are a part that is becoming less and less common. New designs of refrigerators often will incorporate the defrost timer into a "mother board" or they will provide a board specifically dedicated to defrost, called an adaptive defrost control or ADC for short.

Still, a lot of older refrigerators have timer failures. When you just can't get the original timer, the Supco UET120 universal defrost timer is a good fit. It is an electronic timer that can be programmed for the most common defrost settings and plugs in like a traditional manual timer. This is an item every servicer should keep on hand.

SL249

While we are on the subject of defrost system parts, here is another item you might not have considered. Defrost thermostats are frequently pretty cookie cutter in size. It is merely the temperature rating that can make the difference. That's what makes Supco# SL249 so handy. That part number gives you a 3-pack of clips used to secure defrost thermostats of a variety of temperatures.

84042

Water fittings can be a tricky item to look up. They can often be fairly well hidden in a parts breakdown. So keeping a few of these fittings on hand can be a real time saver. The part number is 84042 and it is a 1/4" OD fitting.

SH250

The last item this week is usually asked for with a request along the lines of "you know, that little t-shaped heater for the drain line." Yes, we do know. That is you part SH250, we keep it in stock for you-along with whole lot of other parts. If you have a need for a part for your appliance, just let us know. We are here to help and serve you!

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